(If that sounds strange, here is what the then Israel Justice Minister Yossi Beilin has to say about it: "It is easy for many Israelis to cling to the belief that the former prime minister, Ehud Barak, offered Mr Arafat "everything" while Mr Arafat answered him with the intifada. And indeed, Mr Barak did make a considerable peace offer in July 2000 at the Camp David summit. However, it must also be remembered that by December 2000, Mr Arafat had agreed to the Clinton peace plan, as had Mr Barak. Both men did so with reservations, and this act of compromise occurred at the height of the intifada.

"But instead of accepting the successful talks that had taken place between Israel and the Palestinians at Taba in Egypt in January 2001 as a way towards a final settlement, Ariel Sharon decided, after being elected prime minister, to terminate the peace process."